BACKGROUNDMuch more challenging than the UPLB trail are the trails on the south face of Mt. Makiling, arising from Sto. Tomas, Batangas. The forests teem with limatik and poison ivy and the trails are labyrinthine, spawning a lot of entry and exit points. Moreover, the precarious location of the trails have taken its toll on climbers, causing injuries and even deaths in the past. These elements of danger must be considered by anyone who dare enter Makiling on this side. The rewards, of course, are great: after crossing this difficult trail, going down via UPLB is relatively pleasant, especially during the summer months. The sights along the way, especially in Haring Bato and later in Melkas Ridge, encompass much of Batangas province and the vicinity, including Mt. Maculot (S); Mt. Malipunyo (SE), and Mt. Banahaw (ESE).

'Maktrav' has become the nickname for the Makiling Traverse, and such is the itinerary detailed here. It is commenced on plain ground of rural fields: patches or fields of bananas and corn, and segments of cogon grassland. PinoyMountaineer has isolated two major trail variants of the Sto. Tomas trail. The more often used is the west trail, which is more outlined in the internet as passing landmarks like the Palanggana campsite and peak. The other - the Sipit Trail, goes straight to the Melkas Ridge (Gubatan) campsite. The two have relatively similar time requirements. From the campsite, one will cross the Melkas Ridge itself - some of its parts have ropes to assist you since this is the most precarious part of the trip. At the end is Peak 3, from which another challenging part of the trek begins - the ' Wild Boar Trail' which ultimately leads to Peak 2, or the summit of Mt. Makiling. From here is an easier, more familiar descent via the more commonly used UPLB trail.

After the UPLB trail was closed as an entry point in 2007, there has been renewed interest in the Sto. Tomas trails. An action-packed dayhike, traversing Mt. Makiling, is likewise gaining popularity. Considering the difficulty of carrying heavy packs across Makiling, a dayhike is a good option -- and although there have been several failures in the past (including the blogger's), it is worth a try.

Notes: (1) There is confusion as to where the real Haring Bato is -- whether it is part of Melkas Ridge or down the line in the Palanggana (West) trail. (2) Gubatan campsite is assumed here to be the same as the Melkas Ridge campsite. (3) The clearing surrounded by cogon right after Melkas may very well be Peak 3, and perhaps this is also Mt. Cornites. Accounts in the internet are conflicting and PinoyMountaineer will update labels in this itinerary as soon as they are verified/rectified.

SPECIAL CONCERNSThe full establishment of the Sto. Tomas trails have yet to come; as of Jan. 2008 the trails are still in poor shape and there are many reports of getting waylaid along the way. Others may attribute their experiences to spirits dwelling in Makiling but in truth, the trails are really confusing. Trails signs are present especially the West trail, usually in form of ribbons, so be watchful (other ribbons have become faded). You can try arranging for guides in Brgy. San Miguel, although no established guide service exists.

Limatik and poison ivy are major concerns also. You may want to have a look on the Limatik FAQs page for more information. As for poison ivy and other noxious plants, a full-cover clothing is recommended. Insect repellant is also highly recommended.

Wild boar traps are said to be in place in some of the hunter trails, so you have to watch out for this. This is also one of the possible pitfalls (literally) of following an alternate track.

As of Jan. 2008 the ropes at Melkas Ridge are still in good condition.

TRIVIAThe blogger unsuccesfully attempted a traverse of Mt. Makiling on Jan. 12, 2008. It was day of continuous rains, and two limatik entered his eyes, one on each eye! The other was manually removed by a friendly villager on his way down, and the other left on its own during his sleep on that night. He also sighted a vine snake (2 meters long) and a horde of goats sheltering from the rain.

Reportedly there are also cults in the Sto. Tomas side of Mt. Makiling, akin to those in Mt. Banahaw, and sometimes they can be hostile or unfriendly.

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we had a successful maktrav last feb 10, although two of my friends are "veterans" of the trail, we still got lost, what a magical place makiling really is. a maktrav is not a maktrav when you have a perfect climb, i might say.but we had a pleasant climb because of the perfect weather. i have no "limatik" bites (2 out of 9 of us had a single bite) and minimal poison ivy stings (only 1 had it in our group)

On the third day of the fast, while hewing a leg-sized log on a rock shelf above the stream where my three children and I have encamped for the Holy Week, a battalion of lulumbo wasps -- each no smaller than a pinkie finger -- came out of the rotted bole, swarmed as massing thunderhead, then buzz-bombed like a storm at surprised me with venom, concentrating their attacks upon my head.

Nowhere to turn to except a three-meter drop on the stream bed strewn with pebbles and boulders, I hacked at a nearby bush, wielded it and swatted and swiped and flung and swung while beating a not-so-hasty retreat -- a three-meter drop can be ruinous to one’s health -- with a headful of pain. I couldn’t scream off the wash of pain.

So those wasps either picked or pickled my brains with venom and made a swell-headed oaf out of me for unwittingly doing a demolition job on their abode -- but how was I to know? I am supposed to rid inner impurities, keep a clear head during a misogi harai -- a spiritual cleansing process which few martial elders undergo at least yearly to keep their cutting edge -- but some sylvan denizens I stumbled upon pumped this head full with venom, plus pure jolts of pain.

A head of cabbage often packs more sense than most blokes out there in the urban fastness, so I was told. Flushed with apian venom, the head I wore for several days felt incredibly light and as huge as a humongous ball of cotton candy, all sweetness and nonsense swirling. Maybe this was included in a misogi harai -- a howling empty tummy wrung out clean, hauled over by days of fasting and hushed with gallons of crystal clear mineral water every hour or so plus this tattoo of pain. Call me plain lucky or my body biochemistry was made plucky by the fasting: few people have survived lulumbo attacks... ah, those virtual winged asps can teach things about handling multiple assailants.

Even so, the toxins and impurities oozing off every pore in my body made me smell like a decaying corpse, perhaps a quaint reminder of one’s mortality. Fasting does that. Cleanses the body inside out, flushes the inner filth while one’s protein reserves are being used up -- no extra cud to chew except one’s own. You chew yourself out. That partly explains why I take to the mountains to do misogi harai -- the smell would empty the entire neighborhood. Too, a nitwit neighbor of mine not-so-subtly proclaims his execrable lack of taste by turning up to several zillion decibels their noise box tuned to kilohertz 98.1, the Dolts Muzak Zone station or cranks up cuts from an April Boys album; anybody within zapping vicinity doing meditation would instantly go bonkers with such surfeit of sonic garbage.

With three kids in tow (Daruma Elijah, 16; Aaron Rameses, 12; and Abraham Arjuna, 10), the stab up Mt. Makiling’s southern slopes was a romp of sort, generously laced with rock-climbing (their father ascends a rock wall, hoists up the kids one by one with a length of rope, its end tied to the kid’s waist) and a hands-on crash course in natural history. Any sylvan terrain coaxes the mountaineer to spread out his senses like a taut web to soak up the unruly lay of the land and everything it offers -- the welter of sights, the swelter of sounds, the assault of scents, the swish of mountain air.

We agreed to carry out the climb in laps of 500 paces each, about half a kilometer for each lap before taking a breather. Hardly was the 400 count reached in the second lap when the oldest espied a clump of huge red flowers on the ground. We stopped and scrutinized. The flowers stank like hell. They were corpse lilies (Rafflesia) – the world’s biggest flowers that have found hospitable habitat in the tropic rain forests -- like Mt. Makiling. The count was conveniently forgotten and it was back to one, whew.

It must have been the fourth or fifth lap when Aaron Rameses pointed to bunches of fruits lined with scales that hang from a thorny vine. The fruits were identified as those of rattan that may likely ripen by September -- and the count went. At the next lap, Puwit, the youngest pointed to the rotted carcass and strewn-about feathers of a wild dove called balud, the colorful feathers were collected as souvenir and ended up as bookmarks -- count conveniently forgotten again. Then, we found ripe bamban fruits, gleaned seeds -- and the count began anew at one.

We must have covered several kilometers after such bouts of amnesia on the self-imposed 500-step legs which tested the staying power of our legs. Oh, we must have also lost our bearings which we tried to divine with a pocket compass, but what the hey, we were still in the wilderness of Mt. Makiling in Laguna, still in the Philippines and we haven’t breached any parallel space-time continuum nor quantum-leaped smack into the Twilight Zone. But as quantum physics would have it, greater accumulation of information -- better spell that as “in-formation,” a shaping within -- comes with all-out immersion in any given environment; so we enjoyed the leg-sapping trek, all senses soaked up to the marrow in sylvan sights and sounds and scents.

Interestingly, quantum physics also surmise that information accrues to both parties involved in the intimate interface or immersion process. That could explain the hideous strength gained by the 16th century poet-painter-artisan-swordsman Harigaya Sekiun who retreated to the forest to perfect his craft, tend to trees and live off his garden. As martial arts lore has it, he was in his 80s when a crew of bandits, each in armor and wielding razor-sharp swords called katana, assaulted him. Harigaya fended off the swarming attacks with a length of twig, cracked through armor and cranial bone of several assailants with the same twig to drive some lessons into their addled brains; whipped to an inch of their lives, remnants of the crew fled in horror.

Ancient martial texts could somehow throw light on the miracle of sorts which Harigaya dished out. Aside from their healing powers, trees are known as conduits of dragon currents, nay, powerhouses radiating the earth’s life force. This Harigaya Sekiun, a crabby character who didn’t share his secrets except to one pupil, must have successfully tapped into such power source. Ages-old martial disciplines also offer clues with their very names. Shaolin gungfu or shorinji kempo translates literally as “physical skills gleaned from a small forest” while jujutsu is “the art of the explosive pliancy of growing trees.” Oriental swordsmanship or kenjutsu, by the way, is traditionally known as “the art of mountain demons.” That ought to convey broad hints that the font of sacred, secret martial knowledge springs from trees and forests.

Indeed, American anthropologist Loren Eiseley’s adage -- “Man is the expression of his landscape” -- has a ring of truth in the oriental martial arts, which the ancient martial elders describe as three-fourths mental and spiritual discipline and one-fourth physical regimen. Oh, that should explain why this elder must do misogi harai deep in mountain fastness. Children ply me with questions about such odd, if not brutal practice that I had to dig deep into the teachings imparted by my erstwhile elder from Okinawa. They wracked my brains while trudging through several kilometers and I had to proffer these explanations.

Tired out with legs about to crumble and hungry, we set up camp below a huge towering tree. Beneath its shoulder roots -- behemoth trees develop shoulders from their lateral roots as buttress to keep themselves firmly grounded, enable ‘em to withstand howlers -- twin springs gush with sweet-tasting cool mineral water. As concession to both the comfy and spartan demands of a makeshift shelter, alternating layers of wild palm and fern fronds were heaped on the mossy ground; upon this deep-piled rug of heady-smelling green we spread out the banig which accommodates four to sit and sleep on. The vault of heaven provided sun-suffused roof -- shot through like a sieve with a stun of stars at night -- ceiled with a thick canopy of spreading green. Ah, the blanket we brought was good for three and the kids wrapped themselves with it; I made do with a rice sack. After all, I kept watch at night.

Shafts of sunlight manage to squeeze through the dense canopy at 10 in the morning, then, slowly evanesce by four in the afternoon. This rain forest-imposed daylight saving time allowed us to do our thing -- gathering fuel wood, horsing or lazing around, cooking and eating light repasts of fresh-off-the-can Ligo sardines, boiled rice, salt and tomatoes plopped onto a fleshly cut banana leaf. That food combo had become the staple grub for the children’s breakfast, lunch and supper while I chewed on my fingernails and isaw -- oh, my guts chomped upon each other -- for sustenance. With so much fallen boughs and driftwood lying all over the slopes above the stream where we have encamped, we have managed to amass several wood stacks that could have roasted to a crisp several steers, bum steers including.

With neither noise box nor idiot box to divert them, the children had to amuse themselves skinny-dipping downstream for hours, toying with critters like half foot-long millipedes foraging among rotted logs or half inch-long leeches called limatik, collecting tree seeds for the reforestation job we have started out in the Sierra Madre foothills -- one interesting find turned out to be seeds of nutmeg (Myristica fragrans) which zings up cocktail drinks and milk-based desserts -- or collecting crystals and pebbles in the stream bed. The youngest absorbed himself for hours catching by hand tagunton, wee sweet freshwater shrimps which were promptly tossed into the cup noodles he chows for snacks.

Puwit, the youngest, used the word “lingering” to describe the all-out, no let-up assault of critter sounds at any time of day. Cicadas known locally as paagang would let out batches of tone poems at noon and dusk; flocks of birds would drop by, chirp and chatter and hurl madrigals day or night. Layer such bebopping jazzy improvisations with the non-stop laughter of the gushing springs, ah, so reminiscent of verses from poet-mystic Miguel de Unamuno; add on the deep trill of the nearby wee falls and blend in the incessant Gregorian chant-alike of crickets; provide generous dollops of distant Eddie Vedder-sounding subsonic grunts from other nameless denizens -- even the thundering acoustic swathes of Metallica, U2 or Pink Floyd won’t approximate the live performance that soaked us up there.

Nights when the kids were soundly asleep I did kata among the rocks or went into deep meditation in a ring of slow-burning joss ticks; now, this was my quantum leap of sorts into the past. Not unlike dance steps abstracted in Labanotation or a chess game between masters written in algebraic or English system to be treasured for keeps to allow initiates to draw insights and lessons therefrom, kata is a mortal engagement preserved in a sequence of moves; playing out kata is to reenact those movements of truth and clarity in which yesteryear’s martial artist used his skills to prevail and survive. Played out in the spirit of a fateful engagement, kata allows the learner to keep in touch with a long line of past learners and elders for a transcendental leap. Tongues of flame from the twin bonfires leap out, perhaps, to remind me of the tempering process I was undergoing.

After that contemplation through kata, the learner proceeds to deep meditation. No, this doesn’t entail changing the universal mantra -- Give. Me. More. Money. It’s sort of probing and melding with the infinity that lies within. The process became specially meaningful on Good Friday when a New Testament verse, a quote off good, old Jesus Christ that I had memorized in the Sunday school of my snotty childhood, the line whacked inside my head like a whiplash: “Be still, for I am within.”

Taking a different route on our descent, we met two lugs from the Laguna Water District on their daily inspection tour of the LWD (local water district) water source which was a kilometer or two off our camp site. Funny, I was dressed in rags with a sack tied to and hanging on my neck -- a spray of jade vine flowers was carefully tucked inside as homecoming present to the missus -- but the duo, sans formal introductions, addressed me as “Sir.” We chatted up with me prying off information while giving away as little as possible; I gave away to one of them my disposable lighter decalled with a naked female -- praise the lewd! -- after he offered me several smokes to pass away the remaining kilometers before reaching the nearest barrio. (Ah, the accent I affected passed for a local’s that we were mistaken for old-timers in the area until one of the kids sighed that we’d still be taking several bus rides to get to the comforts of our home.)

The LWD inspectors told us that these days, only a handful of folks dare ascend Mt. Makiling: • forest poachers chainsawing trees at night and carting felled logs that are sold at a pittance; • a graduating student or two from UP-Los Baños doing field research for a masteral thesis; • gnarled apothecaries collecting medicinal roots and herbs; • a rare pilgrim out to test the powers of his amulet or agimat, or out to procure one from spirit denizens of the forest; or • kaingeros visiting or doing work on their swiddens.

In their judgment, we obviously didn’t fit into any of such category groups which turn up in their field reports. Puwit fished out from his copy of Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching one of my calling cards and handed it to the senior fieldman... ah, pleasant surprise from a dyed-in-the-wool cosmopolite whose heart aches for the serene solace of mountains.

actually from the sto. tomas side, wala naman talagang nagbabawal na umakyat sa makiling. and the UPCF people are not really strictly enforcing the climbing ban -- if at all this is still in force.

i will bring up this matter soon to the UPCF officer in charge of makiling so we can have a definitive answer.

@renz: i would not recommend the sto. tomas trail for beginners, unless you are climbing in a large group with enough experienced people to assist. a better option in sto. tomas would be a manabu-malipunyo traverse: though it is also a long trek at least it is more established and the environment more benign.

Just want to update your IT on West trail,,you don't need to rent a jeep after riding a bus,just get off straight to bry. San Miguel then its already the start of our magical climb to Mariang Makiling! ^_^

• Leeches are Annelids (or segmented worms) and are closelyrelated to earthworms.• There are over 100 different leech species in Australia.• Leeches have 34 segments, with a powerful sucker at the end.• Leeches breathe through their body walls.• Australian leeches vary in size from 7mm up to 200mm whenextended.• They are commonly found in dimly lit places. Most leeches live infreshwater but some live on land, in damp areas of tropicalrainforests.• In Australia’s tropical rainforests the most common leech is theland-dwelling jawed leech (Gnatbobdellida libbata).• Leeches are hermaphrodites. Each leech has both male andfemale sex organs. Leeches die after they have reproduced onceor twice.• Leeches are an important part of forest and stream ecosystemsbecause they act as both predators and prey in the life cycle ofmany animals.• Leeches are carnivorous. Some prey on invertebrates. They feedon insect larvae, snails, crustaceans and other worms. Theirdigestive enzymes process their food within a few days.• Other leeches feed on the blood of vertebrates such asamphibians, birds, reptiles, fish and mammals - including humans!Animals that feed on blood are called sanguivorous. Leechesneed symbiotic bacteria to help digest their blood meals which cantake weeks or even months.• Leech bodies are covered with receptors so they can detect warmbloodedanimals by sight, smell, vibrations and temperature.• They can also sense carbon dioxide in the air. This indicates thereis a breathing animal nearby, which could be their next prey!• In wet weather the leech waits in foliage or on the forest floor toattach itself to a passing warm-blooded animal. It will wave its headand body around, looking for signals that food is nearby.• Birds, fish and frogs get their revenge on these bloodsuckers byfeasting on them. (Pittas feed leeches to their chicks.) Otherpredators of leeches are turtles, and the larvae of damselflies anddragonflies.• Rainforest bushwalkers are a very convenient food sourcebecause they brush against low foliage or sit on damp logs or rocks.A waiting leech can easily hitch a ride and grab a snack. Whenleeches are aware of a meal nearby, they climb the victim’s legsand attach themselves to the first area of bare flesh.• Leeches use suckers on each end of its body to loop swiftly inpursuit of its host. Once the leech is on the host it looks for ashadowy, protected spot. It holds on tightly with the larger sucker atits mouth, then cuts a hole in the host with its sharp teeth.• The leech releases an anaesthetic in its saliva which numbs theskin and keeps the host from knowing it is sucking their blood.• Leeches also release an anti-coagulant called hirudin which stopsblood from clotting and keeps it flowing for as long as the leech isfeeding. This anti-coagulant also stops the victim’s blood fromclotting in the gut of the leech and giving them digestive problems.• Leeches can consume several times their own weight in just onebloody meal. It can be up to five times heavier than it was at thebeginning of its meal.• When they are full of blood they drop off and find a dark spot to restand digest their meal.• After a good feed, a leech can survive several months to a yearbefore feeding again.

( this is PART 2 )• After a good feed, a leech can survive several months to a yearbefore feeding again.• It is difficult to outwit leeches. To keep leeches from biting you,avoid brushing against low vegetation in damp or wet places.• Cover your socks and shoes with eucalyptus oil or soap. Thelather repels leeches. You can also wear pantyhose on the outsideof socks and long pants to keep leeches off your legs.• If you apply insect repellent to your socks and shoes, keep clear ofcreeks so you don’t pollute the water.• To detach a leech, carefully expose the leech to heat such as alighted cigarette or a flame or try sprinking it with salt, tea tree oil,eucalyptus oil, alcohol or insect repellent. Don’t pull leeches off.This can tear the skin which may then become infected.• If you just want to move the leech on, slide a fingernail under thebiting end. (The hirudin might cause the bite to bleed for sometime, and the bites are often itchy.) Leeches can be dangerous if they fasten themselves to an eyeball.The only safe thing to do is wait for 15-40 minutes until the leechdetaches itself and drops off. Don’t pull the leech off and don’t applysalt or you may damage your eye.• People use leeches in medicine. They are important source ofanti-coagulants to prevent blood clots from forming in patients.(Blood clots cause strokes.) Leeches produce vasodilators.Leeches are used in plastic surgery to prevent bruising and in reattachingamputated limbs.THANK U PO SIR GID. SANA PO MAKA HELP ITO INFO KO BOUT LIMATIKS. TNX. -Karl of PIKNIKERS MOUNTAINEERS

its been a while.. once again, we'll climb mt. makiling this Nov.6-7.. Another experince, stories, and "kalat" we'll bring down.. Sir Gid this is my new no. 09062733129.. if you have time, you can join us..

Been here last jan.30 for a dayhike via UPLB trail, really craving to do a dayhike traverse but m not so familiar sa trail so if anyone/any group whose planning to do a dayhike traverse, please let me know.

Successful climb last April 9. Maktrav was great especially the flora and fauna. Searching the for trail was a little bit confusing.. thanks to the yellow, blue, and red ribbons. We went down to UPLB with tenderized feet.. thanks to the long rocky road to UPLB Forestry. Took us 8am-6pm. San Bartolome to UPLB Upper Campus.

May Maktrav open climb ang MMS sa Oct 2-3, 2010. You are all invited to join. You can send an email to mmsopenclimbs@gmail.com or text Siegfried at 0917-5328624 for further details. Tara na akyat na tayo!

We have a successful wholeday climb in maktrav yesterday (Jan 16 , 2011).The trail was really challenging, slippery , strong wind , rain and cold.Theres also some spooky things happened in some of my climbmates, Good thing my third eye is not opened. 2 of my buddy got lost along the trail, they said that the trail disappear and the tracks that were made by other climber was gone, after 2 hours they showed up. It was 12am that we finally got out of the forest. After having a late dinner and clean up. another 1 hour walk to uplb.. And also I experienced having limatik on my left eye, it was removed by the locals there, (thanks rhoda and nanay inday ). If you want a new challenge, try maktrav. The best.. More power pinoy mountaineer.

just traversed makiling yesterday. isarog type trail.. over and under, slide here and there, wet and muddy, rope-aided climb.. hehe definitely hardcore! i was with a group that was led by sir mar (one of the three that established the sto. tomas trail). though the trail is very technical and limatik infested, i must agree that makiling simply beautiful.

our group just completed the maktrav last aug 13-14 taking the trail at Bgy. San Bartolome. the trail confusing right from the start because there were heavy equipment doing some works on the river.we had to ask a local to find the trail to Palanggana. then there were two more forks,the latter one took us a while to find the white crosses that mark the trail.for those who plan to take this trail,remember to take the path to the right whenever the trail forks.with our heavy packs,we could only manage to get to the ecamp about 30-45 minutes below Melkas Ridge.From there, wala nang ligaw except sa wild boar trail going to peak 2 pero just the same,yung trail pa-kanan ang tama.when in doubt,look for ribbons/straws tied to trees.

People at UPLB are still confused.. we did the traverse last saturday via sipit trail... they asked where we came from and we said from sto. tomas... the guard at UPLB jump-off said... hindi nyo ba alam na bawal pa umakyat? I guess these people are not yet properly informed...

With all due respect, unless meron written and signed document galing sa MCME ang mga nanghaharang sa Sto. Tomas na deputized sila to order us to do anything like hire a guide, go down Sipit to register and such, then sige. By law, sole administrative powers are issued to uplb and none other.

Republic of the PhilippinesCongress of the PhilippinesMetro ManilaEighth Congress

Republic Act No. 6967 October 15, 1990

AN ACT TO VEST CONTROL, JURISDICTION AND ADMINISTRATION OF THE FOREST RESERVE IN MOUNT MAKILING IN THE UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES IN LOS BAÑOS

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled::

Section 1. The entire forest reserve at Mt. Makiling in Laguna ceded, transferred and conveyed to the University of the Philippines pursuant to Republic Act No. 3523 shall be administered and conserved primarily as a training laboratory for the advancement of scientific and technical knowledge particularly in the preservation, conservation and development of our forest, flora and fauna, and natural resources.

Section 2. The exclusive jurisdiction, administration and complete control of said forest reserve are hereby vested in the University of the Philippines in Los Baños.

Section 3. The University of the Philippines in Los Baños shall preserve watershed areas in the forest reserve for the development of hydro-geothermal power in coordination with the National Power Corporation, provided such development will not endanger the forest, reserve and prejudice its purpose as a training laboratory.

Section 4. All existing provisions of law and executive orders, rules and regulations inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed.

About the Blog

The Lonely Planet-recommended web portal for hiking in the Philippines, PinoyMountaineer has the most comprehensive list of guides for mountains and outdoor destinations in the country, as well as bulletins to keep you updated with the local mountaineering scene. This blog is authored by Gideon Lasco, avid mountaineer and medical doctor, and was established in 2007 with the help of Ivan Henares of the award-winning travel blog Ivan About Town.